Shattering Clans
by Wrath Flamesoul
Summary: After the crimes committed by the now-exiled Ternclaw, StarClan have sent an ominous message to GraniteClan and FernClan: "A scarlet mist will rise from the blackness to soak the mountain in blood." Original work, no allusions to the real series.
1. Allegiances

**BA**_**HA**_**HAHAHAHA! YES! IT'S A **_**WARRIORS **_**FANFICTION! F34r M3h!**

**Ahem. Sorry about that, but not many people thought it was going to be **_**Warriors. **_**Most of you thought it was going to be **_**Twilight **_**or **_**Assassin's Creed II**_**. Obviously, these people know about my taste in men. YOU FREAKING STALKERS. XD**

…**No, the **_**Twilight **_**choice does not reflect that my taste in men happens to be sparkly wuss-pires. Think big, fuzzy, and very warm…**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the _Warriors _franchise — it belongs to the wonderful women behind the Erin Hunter alias. I do, however, own every single one of the characters, as listed in this beginning chapter.

**Dedication: **To my fellow _Warriors _fans. Kitty power!

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_**SHATTERING CLANS**_

_**ALLEGIANCES**_

_**

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**_

**FERNCLAN**

**_LEADER_**

**Duskstar — **Pretty white she-cat with dusty colored patches and blue-green eyes.

**Eight Lives Left**

**_ DEPUTY_**

**Silverspot — **Beautiful silver she-cat with black spots and green eyes.

**_ MEDICINE_**_** CAT**_

**Honeyleaf — **Ginger tabby she-cat with cream-colored paws and muted green eyes.

**_ WARRIORS_**

**Slatepelt — **Blue-grey tom with dark green eyes.

**Ambermoon — **Pretty tabby she-cat with white front paws and amber eyes.

**Hazelface —** Mottled black-and-brown tom with a grayish face and yellow eyes.

**Apprentice, Warmpaw**

** Berryflight —** Calico she-cat with green eyes and nearly identical markings to Duskstar's.

**Apprentice, Reedpaw**

** Thunderstep **— Muscular tawny-colored tom with yellow eyes.

**Cloverstep **— Small blue-grey tom with blue eyes.

**_APPRENTICES_**

**Warmpaw **— Small, light tawny she-cat with slightly darker markings and yellow eyes.

**Reedpaw **— Small brown tom with chocolate-brown eyes.

**_QUEENS_**

**Tawnyclaw **— Pretty cream-colored she-cat with bright gold eyes.

**Kits, Shadowkit and Thrushkit**

** Palefur **— Slender grey she-cat with brown eyes.

**Kit, Meadowkit**

**_KITS_**

**Shadowkit **— Small black tom with light green eyes.

**Thrushkit **— Mottled brown tom with light green eyes.

**Meadowkit **— Pretty grey she-kit with blue eyes.

**_ ELDERS_**

**Rowanpelt **— Dark brown tom with green eyes. Retired early due to hearing loss in both ears.

**Sablepelt **— Black and brown-splotched she-cat with muted yellow eyes and a badly damaged hind leg. Retired early due to lack of usability of her leg.

**

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**

**GRANITECLAN**

**_ LEADER_**

**Witheredstar **— Huge black tom with intensely blue eyes.

**Three Lives Left**

**_ DEPUTY_**

**Hollywing **— Pretty white she-cat with dark brown blotches on her face and back and soft green eyes.

_** MEDICINE**** CAT**_

**Darkwind **— Small tabby tom with yellow eyes and a broken tooth.

** WARRIORS**

**Dappledflower —** Black she-cat with tawny patches and fierce yellow eyes. Formerly kittypet and then a loner prior to joining GraniteClan.

** Lionstep **— Muscular tawny-colored tom with deep gold eyes.

**Apprentice, Needlepaw**

**Wildwing **— Tawny and gold she-cat with a black tail-tip, a white muzzle, and gold eyes. Formerly kittypet and then a loner prior to joining GraniteClan.

**Apprentice, Windpaw**

**Stonestep **— Grey tom with a white muzzle and yellow eyes.

**Tangleface **— Dark brown tabby tom with green eyes and a badly-scarred face.

**Apprentice, Mothpaw**

**_APPRENTICES_**

**Windpaw **— White tom with amber eyes and light grayish-brown fur along his back and tail.

**Mothpaw **— Brown she-cat with warm yellow eyes.

**Needlepaw **— Light tabby she-cat with bright yellow eyes.

**_QUEENS_**

**Nightbreeze **— Black she-cat with a white front paw and bright blue eyes.

**Kits, Smokekit and Yarrowkit**

** Thrushfang **— Light brown she-cat with a white underbelly and paws and dark amber eyes.

**Kits, Rookkit and Sparrowkit; Adopted, Smallkit**

**_ KITS_**

**Smokekit —** Black she-kit with gold eyes.

**Yarrowkit —** Tawny-colored tom with green eyes.

**Rookkit **— Dark grey tom with green eyes.

**Sparrowkit **— Brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Smallkit **— Small white-and-black she-kit with blue eyes; brought by Stonestep to GraniteClan after being abandoned by her mother near the GraniteClan border.

**_ELDERS_**

**Sweetwind **— Beautiful thick-furred white she-cat with a chocolate brown tail and ears and soft green eyes.

**Blackfrost **— Thickset black tom with sharp gold eyes.

**Cloudcover **— Pudgy dark grey tom with soft yellow eyes. Lost most of his tail in a fox trap**.**

**

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**

**MISTCLAN**

_Newly-formed Can of former loners, few of whom believe in their ancestors in MoonClan_

**_ LEADER_**

**Shadowmoon **— Smallish tabby tom with dusty brown fur and soft green eyes. Formerly known as Silt.

**Six Lives Left**

_**DEPUTY**_

**Goldeneye **— Ginger-and-white tom with deep yellow-gold eyes. Formerly known as Sunrise.

_**MEDICINE ****CAT**_

**Ravenheart **— Black tom with bright yellow eyes. Formerly known as Raven.

_**WARRIORS **_

**Flameclaw **— Bright ginger she-cat with green eyes. Formerly known as Flicker.

**Apprentice, Sablepaw**

**Ratfur **— Grayish-brown tom with yellow eyes. Formerly known as Rattlesnake.

**Kestrelfoot **— Brown and black-marked tom with amber eyes and a scarred muzzle. Formerly known as Muddy.

**Grassleap **— Pale yellow tom with bright greenish-yellow eyes. Formerly known as Toby.

_**APPRENTICES**_

**Sablepaw **— Deep brown tom with gold eyes. Formerly known as Saddle.

_**QUEENS**_

**Owlcall **— Brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes and a white stomach, paws, and tail-tip; lost her newborn kits to a rattlesnake. Formerly known as Owl.

**Kit, Sablepaw; Adopted, Faintkit**

_**KITS**_

**Faintkit **— Pretty light tabby she-kit with yellow eyes.

_**ELDERS**_

**Lostsight **— Mangled-looking brown she-cat with blind, cloudy-gold eyes and a thin, badly-scarred body. Formerly known as Rain.

* * *

**CATS OUTSIDE THE CLANS**

**_ LONERS_**

**Pine **— Ruddy-colored tom with yellowish eyes and a deformed hind paw. Formerly a kittypet.

**Turk **— Shorthaired black she-cat with bright gold eyes. Formerly a kittypet.

**_ROGUES_**

**Ternclaw **— Thickset black-and-white tom with vivid yellow-green eyes; exiled former deputy of GraniteClan.

**Roseflight **— Pretty reddish-tan she-cat with blue eyes and white feet; former warrior of FernClan who followed Ternclaw into exile.

**Sedgewhisker **— Pale grey tom with yellow eyes; former warrior of GraniteClan who followed Ternclaw into exile.


	2. A New Leader

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the _Warriors _franchise. I do own the characters as they are listed in the allegiances, and I own the storyline and ideas for this fanfiction. All canonical _Warriors _attributes belong to the women behind Erin Hunter.

**A Note: **Some of you — through private messages and comments alike — have expressed concern over some of the names. I realized the excuse I gave you before was faulty and rather childish, so I went to the _Warriors _wiki and looked up the page "Cat Names." According to the information on that page, Clan cats are named for things known to the Clans, such as natural, phenomenal, or physical things (i.e., Leaf–, Fire–, –heart, respectively.) Personal attributes (such as Long– for a long-bodied cat or –frost for a cat with a chilly temper) are also acceptable. Additionally, cats may go through name changes (such as White-eye becoming One-eye after losing sight in one eye) should their circumstances call for it. _All _of MistClan needed new names, and because thy and their newly-deceased ancestors in MoonClan aren't exactly veterans to Clan life, they wouldn't quit have the hang of the names (hence names such as Faintkit and Lostsight).

Cloudcover was one name that everyone commented on… I'm gonna go ahead and call "fit of idiocy" on that one. I'm not really sure what I was thinking there. He's not a tribe cat, so I can't even say that was the first thing his mother saw when he was born… Anyone have any suggestions for his name?

Please understand that I'm not pointing any fingers here — more than one of you expressed concern over the names, so don't think I'm trying to launch an attack on any one of you — and that I'm only trying to clear up some confusion or worry.

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**Chapter One — A New Leader

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**

_It was eerily still as the body of a large white cat was carried and laid gently in the center of the large clearing. One or two voices rose in eerie wails as the gathered cats stepped forward to pay their respects to their fallen leader, touching their noses to his fur in a final display of affection for the once-great warrior._

"_How could this happen?" A black shape moaned as she limped forward to say goodbye. She touched her nose to the cold white pelt and murmured, "Farewell, Snowstar. May your soul find peace in StarClan."_

_A brown tom nodded mutely as he nosed Snowstar's fur and padded away with his dark-furred companion, letting her lean against him as they padded back to their den, followed closely by a stumbling pair of kits who moved with an unnatural seriousness._

"_Why isn't Snowstar waking up?" one mewled softly. No cat answered her._

_A white cat with dark splotches of color paced forward to lay with her nose buried in the old leader's pelt. A ginger she-cat crouched beside her, eyes squinted shut in pain. She had tried so hard to save the old tom, but now there was nothing more she could do._

_After several heartbeats, the calico she-cat rose to her paws and meowed, "Where is the rest of the party who helped me get Ternclaw and Sedgewhisker away from him? Slatepelt, Berryflight?"_

_A dark grey tom and a she-cat that was the first's mirror image stepped forward wearily. Still-healing claw marks were plainly visible on their pelts._

"_Tonight is the Gathering," the first cat explained. "We three must go and tell GraniteClan what has happened. A traitor to the warrior code walks in their midst, and he is a threat to their Clan as well as ours."_

"_Will it be only us?" the tom asked in a strained mew._

"_I will not take any of our Clanmates away from Snowstar unless they choose to leave, and the camp must be guarded," the she-cat answered._

"_Duskpelt, there are others you should take with you," the ginger cat advised. "Snowstar was Silverspot's father, and Sparrowflight's brother. Palepaw was Ambermoon's apprentice." Her meow thickened with grief as she named the apprentice who had died trying to help Snowstar when he was attacked the night before._

_Duskpelt nodded and beckoned the three she-cats forward. Another dark grey tom also approached the group, his eyes even darker than usual with grief and determination._

"_I'll go as well," he mewed. "We won't know how our news will be received until it's too late." The other cats murmured their agreement, and Silverspot's eyes flashed in anticipation, as though she were hoping Ternclaw would try to deny their claims so that she would have an excuse to claw him._

_Duskpelt nodded, then turned and led her group out of the camp, towards the shelf on the cliff face the Gatherings were held upon._

܀܀܀

"_Only a pawful of cats from FernClan?" a GraniteClan cat asked in surprise. "Duskpelt, where is Snowstar? Where's the rest of your patrol, for StarClan's sake?"_

_Duskpelt ignored the questioning tom and leapt onto the high ledge where Witheredstar was already standing, dipping her head to the old tom before turning to speak to the assembly of cats gathered below._

"_Cats of GraniteClan, Snowstar has died," she mewed heavily. "He was killed twice in the same fight, and lost his final life just moments ago."_

_There was an uproar of yowls and more of the eerie wailing that had arisen in the FernClan camp. Witheredstar's eyes widened and he flinched back as though he'd been bitten by a snake._

"_How did this happen?" he asked, repeating the words of the dark-furred FernClan elder. "Snowstar was a strong warrior despite his age; only an ambush could have brought him down!"_

"_It was an ambush," Silverspot snarled, stepping up to the base of the ledge. Slatepelt and his dark-furred brother followed their sister like shadows. "An ambush by two of your warriors, Witheredstar!"_

"_What?" The black tom whipped around to fix Silverspot with an icy blue glare while his warriors yowled in protest. "How dare you accuse my warriors of such a crime?"_

"_It's true," Slatepelt called up. "We saw it with our own eyes; Palepaw died trying to save Snowstar from your warriors!"_

_Silverspot flinched, but she did not take her eyes from Witheredstar. The snarl remained on her face._

"_We all saw it," Berryflight put in, waving her tail to indicate herself, Silverspot, and Slatepelt. "Slatepelt and I helped Duskpelt fight them off while Ambermoon ran to fetch Honeyleaf." This time it was Ambermoon who flinched, and a hint of shame entered her gaze as she glared at her paws._

"_Who of my warriors was it, then?" Witheredstar demanded. He turned his gaze to his Clan. "Which of you did this?"_

_Before any cat could respond, a cold, deep meow answered, "I did. And Sedgewhisker helped me."_

_All eyes focused on the black-and-white shape that stood at the base of the ledge, in the place where the deputies traditionally stood. Pale yellow eyes glared out at the audience as another, smaller cat stepped to his side. This cat was so pale that his fur seemed white in the full light of the moon._

"_Ternclaw?" Witheredstar spat. "Sedgewhisker? This was your doing?"_

_Ternclaw lifted his head to glare disdainfully at the black tom._

"_Of course we did it," he hissed. "Snowstar was a weak old fool with no ambition, and that idiot apprentice should never have gotten in our way—"_

_A furious screech erupted from Silverspot as she threw herself at the larger warrior, claws glinting in the moonlight. Ternclaw reared up and batted her away with a heavy blow to her shoulders. She hit the ground hard and took a moment to scramble back to her paws. Slatepelt and their brother moved to block her before she could make another attack. Several tail-lengths away, Ambermoon was snarling at Sedgewhisker, who had been the cat to deal the killing blow to Palepaw. Berryflight and Sparrowflight were murmuring urgently for her to stay put._

_The crowd of GraniteClan cats shifted, and a large black tom stepped forward to stand nose-to-nose with Ternclaw._

"_Ternclaw, why would you do this?" the older tom demanded. His growl cracked with age and fury._

"_Why? Why not?" Ternclaw asked petulantly. "FernClan is weak; they always have been. I was hunting for our Clan when the old fool decided I was too close to his precious border. They hardly ever touch the prey there, so why wouldn't I go after it? He attacked me, and Sedgewhisker was close enough to help me bring him down."_

_The other tom lashed out and raked Ternclaw's face with his claws; the GraniteClan deputy screeched and stumbled back, shaking blood from his muzzle._

"_The truth, fox-dung," the elder spat. "You expect me to believe you had to destroy Snowstar's last three lives over a bit of fresh-kill? What really happened, Ternclaw? Or are you too afraid to admit the truth to your own Clanmates?"_

"_Afraid of you, you old—?" Ternclaw started, but he was silenced by a yowl from Witheredstar._

"_Ternclaw and Sedgewhisker have admitted to the murders of Snowstar and Palepaw," the leader declared. "For their actions, I sentence them to exile." He leveled a snarl at the two toms and hissed, "Get out."_

_There was a heartbeat of silence, and then the cats erupted into furious caterwauls and several warriors charged at Ternclaw and Sedgewhisker. The toms raced up the cliff, kicking lose stones down onto their pursuers. One stone rolled down and struck Sparrowflight across the side of her head. She yowled and plunged down the face of the cliff._

"_No!" Ambermoon cried, whirling around to run towards the edge of the Gathering shelf. A GraniteClan tom blocked her path._

"_You can't help her now," he mewed. His yellow eyes were narrowed in shock._

_Duskpelt watched a mute horror as the rest of the pursuers made it to the top of the cliff and continued to chase Ternclaw and Sedgewhisker out of the territories. A few GraniteClan cats stayed behind, including Sweetwind and Blackfrost, the black tom who had been the first to strike Ternclaw. Now the old tom seemed to sag under the weight of Ternclaw's crimes as Sweetwind tried desperately to console him. Ambermoon had stopped struggling to weave around the cat who had stopped her — Duskpelt could see now that it was GraniteClan's medicine cat, Darkwind — and was lying with her paws curled over her nose. The GraniteClan she-cats Needlepaw and Hollywing had also stayed behind, seemingly too shocked to move._

"_I'm sorry, Duskpelt," Witheredstar murmured. "I should have seen such blackness in my own warriors; please forgive me."_

"_There is nothing to forgive." Duskpelt could barely form the words. "None of us could have expected this to happen, Witheredstar."_

"_I suppose the next time we meet, you will be Duskstar," the GraniteClan leader mewed. He dipped his head and bounded down to speak with Needlepaw and Hollywing; heartbeats later, the two bounded off in the direction of the GraniteClan camp._

_Duskpelt's fur felt stiff with dread. Lead FernClan? She had known it was a possibility when she was named as Snowstar's deputy after the old deputy, Raggedtail, had passed away, but she had at least hoped to have several seasons to prepare herself for such a massive responsibility. Great StarClan, she'd only been the deputy for less than a quarter-moon!_

"_Duskpelt."_

_Slatepelt's breathless meow startled the she-cat, and she whirled to see her former apprentice standing behind her, sporting several new claw marks to agitate the ones he'd received the night before. His right forepaw was raised from the ground; the full moonlight made it easy for Duskpelt to see the blood seeping from the toes on that paw._

"_We chased Ternclaw is far as the little stream," Slatepelt reported. "He tried to fight us, but another group of GraniteClan warriors came and took up the chase again. We came back to see what happened to Sparrowflight. We heard Ambermoon's yowl, and when we didn't see her or Sparrowflight, we thought something must have gone wrong."_

_Duskpelt felt her throat close. How could she take on the leadership of FernClan in the wake of such a disastrous treachery? The weight of her new responsibilities seemed to weigh down on her like a choking cloud._

"_All of you, go back to the camp," she finally choked out. "Have Honeyleaf take a look at you, and then finish whatever business you have with Snowstar. I'll keep Ambermoon here with me, and Silverspot, if she's able. We'll try to get home before dawn."_

_Slatepelt nodded and limped back to where the others stood waiting for him. He spoke with Silverspot, who bounded down the face while the rest began their slow journey home._

"_She's dead, isn't she?" Silverspot spat as soon as she was next to Duskpelt. "Why didn't you try to help us chase him off? Then maybe that stupid boulder would have landed on _your_ head, and maybe Sparrowflight would have been able to add an extra cat to our fight. Swiftnose is dead because none of us could run fast enough to get Ternclaw off him in time! Stripetail is only better because he was still alive when we turned back! If Sparrowflight had been there, she would have been able to grab hold of one of them and drag them to safety!"_

_She whirled and bounded over to Ambermoon before Duskpelt had the chance to answer. Head and tail drooping, the new FernClan leader picked her way down from the ledge and joined her Clanmates as they began their descent to Sparrowflight's body._

܀܀܀

Sunlight filtered through the trees and onto the clearing where a sprawling camp lay nestled in the thick forest, warming the early-morning air and the cats who took little heed of its presence. The scent of anxiety filled the camp like a thick cloud, and seemed to weigh each and every cat down.

Warriors sat in tense groupings of two and three, murmuring uneasily to each other. Two cats, one black and brown and the other a dark brow tabby, sat hidden under a particularly thick clump of ferns and brambles, watching on as their companions paced or murmured restlessly. Neither of the two secluded cats spoke, but their paws worked the ground feverishly, and their claws made small scratching sounds that seemed to agitate the other cats all the more. Two small bundles of fur huddled close to the separated cats, eyes huge and sides pulsing with their quick, panicky breathing.

"It's been too long," a tom with pale golden fur murmured. His yellow eyes were trained on a fallen tree that had lichen spilling from its side in a long curtain, watching for any signs of life from within the den created by the space not occupied by the tree or the huge stone that kept it from falling all the way to the ground. "What is she waiting for?"

"Maybe she's waiting for StarClan to come to her," a silver and black-spotted she-cat piped up. Her pale green eyes glittered scornfully.

"Now isn't the time to abandon our leader, Silverspot," the tom told her, finally tearing his gaze from the den to look at his companion. "Whatever happens, we must support Duskpelt to the nd of her nine lives."

"If she ever receives them," Silverspot sniffed. "It's been _three sunrises, _Thunderstep. Maybe StarClan will send Honeyleaf a sign that we need to choose another leader. We can't very well go to the Gathering without our new leader and deputy, now can we?"

"The deputy _always _succeeds the old leader," Thunderstep argued. "And Duskpelt was Snowstar's deputy. StarClan won't ignore his decision."

"Unless they don't want our Clan to fall apart," Silverspot filled in. Thunderstep shook his head and went back to staring at the leader's den, as if hoping that Duskpelt would be able to feel his gaze through the lichen and draw the courage to go to the Moonrock from it. Silverspot sneered and stalked away. Let the old fool believe what he wanted to; she knew there was no way Duskpelt had what it took to be the leader, and her disappearing act was only proof of that.

One of the secluded cats laid her ears back as she watched Silverspot pad over to where Cloverstep, a blue-grey tom, was tucking into a mouse. The sable-colored she-cat narrowed her yellow eyes suspiciously; Silverspot seemed too eager to see Duskpelt fail. Not that the two cats had ever been friends to begin with, but the black-speckled cat seemed even more antagonistic now than she ever had been before.

"Sablepelt?"

The dark cat looked down to see her bundle of light tabby fur staring up at her with huge yellow eyes.

"What is it, Warmkit?" Sablepelt asked quietly. She leaned down and nuzzled the top of the kit's head gently.

"Why is everyone so upset?" Warmkit mewed. "And where's Duskpelt? I keep hearing cats saying she needs to go to the Moonrock, but I haven't seen her since Snowstar was buried." Her quiet voice quivered with sadness; having been found and brought to FernClan during a recent storm, she hadn't known the great leader more than a few days. But during the time she had known him, Warmkit had seen only kindness and wisdom in the old leader, and felt his loss as powerfully as any Clanborn cat did.

"We're upset because Duskpelt needs to become the new leader," Sablepelt explained. "And to do that, she must go to the Moonrock to receive her nine lives and leader's name."

"But she can still do that, can't she?" Warmkit wondered.

"I hope so, little one," Sablepelt meowed. "She should have gone as soon as Snowstar was taken to be buried. That's the tradition."

Warmkit opened her mouth to say something, then froze and turned to look out into the clearing. Sablepelt followed her gaze in time to see the lichen in front of Duskpelt's den quiver; a heartbeat later, the white-and-brown she-cat stepped outside with slitted eyes, as though the sunlight hurt her eyes after three days of hiding in the shadows.

Almost immediately, Slatepelt, Ambermoon, and Berryflight bounded over to the leader, touching their noses to hers and purring in relief. Silverspot and Cloverstep very pointedly turned their backs to Duskpelt, and another cat — the reddish-tan Roseflight — didn't even act like she'd noticed her leader's appearance. Her blue eyes remained trained on the ground in front of her white paws.

Sablepelt felt Warmkit quiver, and turned to see the she-kit staring excitedly at Duskpelt, looking as though she would have liked to have gotten up and said hello. But, as always, the kit didn't move from Sablepelt's side. Warmkit was simply too shy to interact with her Clanmates; Sablepelt wasn't even sure half of the Clan knew who she was or where she had come from. They saw nothing but a hapless bundle of fur in the tiny she-kit who was more content to stare at her leader than go to greet her.

Duskpelt felt eyes watching her and tried to open her eyes wider so she could see her Clanmates. Three shapes — she only knew two of them were Berryflight and Ambermoon — approached her and touched their noses to hers tentatively.

"Duskpelt?" The deep mew belonged to her old apprentice, Slatepelt, and solved the mystery of her third visitor. "Have you decided to go to the Moonrock?"

"Yes," she answered, at the same time another set of pawsteps signaled Honeyleaf's exit from the leader's den. "Honeyleaf received a sign from StarClan that showed their impatience with me. I will leave immediately."

"A sign?" That voice was Silverspot's, and came from somewhere on the opposite side of the clearing. Duskpelt tried to open her eyes again, and this time had better success in peering through the bright morning sunlight. Now she could see the different pelts of her Clanmates.

"A sign," Honeyleaf repeated, stepping up to Duskpelt's side. Her mew rang out through the clearing. "StarClan sent me a dream last night. It showed Ternclaw and Sedgewhisker running across a stretch of grass — running as though they were being chased. The clearing grew dark as night, and when it grew light enough to see, the toms had vanished." She bowed her head and added in a subdued voice, "Snowstar's voice told me to relay the dream to Duskpelt. He said she would understand its meaning before I could."

"And I do," Duskpelt declared. "I must go to the Moonrock. StarClan are waiting for me, and they will accept no other cat in my place. I ask your forgiveness for my days of hiding," she added more quietly. "I have failed you as a leader. With your help, I will not let you down again."

For several long heartbeats, there was nothing but the sound of many cats' breaths in the clearing. Duskpelt waited as patiently as she could, trying not to let on to the others how afraid she was that her decision had come too late. She unsheathed her claws into the ground to brace herself.

Finally, near the back of the clearing, a mew called out, "I will support you, Duskpelt."

All of the assembled cats turned to see Palefur pad out of the nursery with Meadowkit padding close behind. At five moons, the she-kit had lost nearly all of her soft kitten fluff and traded it for the sleeker coat of a young apprentice-to-be.

"Duskpelt is young and inexperienced," Palefur continued, resting her brown gaze on each of her Clanmates in their turn, "But she treads lightly and thoughtfully. I would be honored to serve as her warrior, and grateful to have my kit grow into a warrior under her leadership." Her brown eyes flicked to Duskpelt as she added, "No cat can deny she has waited too long to lave for the Moonrock, but StarClan have made their choice clear enough."

Murmurs of agreement rose from most of the surrounding cats, though Duskpelt noticed that Silverspot, along with Roseflight and Hazelface, did not look pleased with StarClan's decision. The new leader could only hope she could turn them to her side soon. FernClan could not afford to be divided.

"I will leave for the Moonrock immediately," she meowed. "While I'm away, I would like Hazelface to take charge of the Clan. As FernClan's most senior warrior," she added to Hazelface, "I except that I am placing the Clan in safe paws." She met his cold yellow eyes unwaveringly; after a couple of heartbeats, he blinked in affirmation. Once he did, the assembly broke up into smaller groups again, and excited mews and purrs began to echo around the clearing.

Honeyleaf led Duskpelt to her den as the gathering broke up. The journey to the Moonrock would last until after dark if they hurried, and Duskpelt would need the traveling herbs Honeyleaf had already prepared if she was to receive her nine lives and name at moonhigh.

Silverspot watched through narrowed green eyes as the new leader padded into the medicine cat's den. StarClan could say whatever they wanted; it was Duskpelt's fault that Sparrowflight, Swiftnose, and possibly even Stripetail had all been killed chasing the rogues off. If their "leader" wouldn't even go after Ternclaw and Sedgewhisker, how could she lead them into a battle against GraniteClan in future turf and prey disputes? Duskpelt was the wrong cat to lead FernClan.

"Are you worried about Duskpelt?"

Silverspot turned to see a pretty tan-and-white warrior staring at her with wide blue eyes.

"Yes," she growled, "I am worried. Worried that StarClan have made a mistake. Is it so horrible to assume that perhaps even StarClan are not always right? That perhaps joining their ranks does not grant a cat perfection?"

"No," Roseflight answered amiably. "I don't think it is. I tend to agree, personally; why should you have to die to have the best ideas about everything?" Her blue eyes flashed, as though her words meant more to her than they did to Silverspot. The silver warrior didn't comment on it; Sparrowflight had been Roseflight's mother as well as Reedpaw's, but the two she-cats had never agreed about anything. Silverspot was fairly certain that Roseflight had even despised her mother until the warrior's death three nights ago.

"I just hope StarClan won't lead our Clan into destruction," Silverspot murmured. Her ears were already filled with the wails and shrieks of her Clanmates, and images of FernClan fading into nothingness began to haunt her as she rose and padded over to the fresh-kill pile.

܀܀܀

"We're almost there, Duskpelt," Honeyleaf encouraged as Duskpelt hauled herself up yet another ledge. "Come on, you're doing great! At the speed you've set, we might even get there just after sunset! Then we'll have time to eat and rest before we go back."

"I'm sure you're trying to be helpful," Duskpelt gasped out, "But talking about _food _and _rest _isn't exactly raising my spirits, Honeyleaf."

The Moonrock was a large, flat-topped stone at the top of an abandoned twoleg quarry well beyond the river that acted as the western border for both GraniteClan and FernClan. As if the swimming wasn't bad enough, Clan leaders and medicine cats had to climb the loose stones of the quarry to reach the Moonrock, and then repeat their progress in the opposite order on their way home. Many of the cats who traveled here often came back to their Clans exhausted and easily agitated, and Duskpelt was beginning to understand why.

Honeyleaf's prediction turned out to be true; the two she-cats made it to the top several heartbeats after the sun had dipped below the horizon. Duskpelt's legs shook with relief as she climbed one final ledge and padded to the center of the Moonrock. Honeyleaf followed her and curled up a few tail-lengths away, resting the tip of her tail over her muzzle to signal to Duskpelt that there could be no more conversation until after they had completed the ceremony.

Legs trembling from the climb and her own anticipation, Duskpelt laid down on her stomach, resting her chin between her paws so that it touched the cold stone underneath her. She glanced once more at the sky, and then allowed her eyes to close.

Darkness blacker than the dusk swirled around Duskpelt, and for one wild moment the she-cat felt as though she were paralyzed as she fell down into an endless abyss of darkness and nothing else…

Duskpelt gasped and opened her eyes, scrambling to her paws as she did so. She was back on the Moonrock, and Honeyleaf was sitting nearby, watching her encouragingly. Was the ceremony already over? Had she received her nine lives while she had been in the blackness?

But then a flicker of movement overhead caught her attention, and she looked up to see the stars of Silverpelt swirl down towards the stony rubble surrounding the Moonrock. As each star touched the ground, it became a cat that bore stars in his or her pelt and eyes. Nine stars touched down closer to Duskpelt than any of the others; these became the spirits of cats Duskpelt had known when they were alive, and who had held the most influence over her progression from half-witted apprentice to the leader she now stood to become.

Duskpelt's heart ached as she recognized some of the cats almost immediately.

"Emberclaw… Barkfur!" she gasped as she picked her father and mother from the group. The gray tom and calico she-cat looked at their daughter with pride and abundant wisdom shining in their starry gazes.

"You took long enough to get here," a deep mew grumbled from somewhere behind her. Duskpelt turned to see her old mentor, Grayowl, looking at her with narrowed eyes. He looked the same as when he had died; his fur was ruffled in annoyance and his paws seemed to twitch with the desire to box his former apprentice across the ears.

"Haven't I taught you anything?" he demanded crossly. "You _never _keep StarClan waiting, you stupid furball. Least of all for something as important as your own leader ceremony!" His words were harsh, but his tone didn't match the pride in his eyes.

Duskpelt dipped her head apologetically, then turned her attention to the others gathered around her. There was Foxwing, the dark ginger-and-white tom who had died helping her fight off a pair of foxes. Next to him sat Raggedtail, the FernClan deputy before her, as well as the GraniteClan medicine cat apprentice Squirrelpool, who had given her own life to help Duskpelt save Warmkit from drowning in the river on the day the she-kit had been found wandering near FernClan's border. Sparrowflight was present as well, watching with none of the malice or disapproval Duskpelt had expected her to show. Huddled near Sparrowflight's feet was the apprentice Palepaw, who had died trying to help Snowstar fight off Sedgewhisker and Ternclaw. The former leader himself was present as the ninth and final cat in the group. The tom's dark green eyes rested on Duskpelt approvingly, and the she-cat thought she could hear him purring quietly.

"Welcome, Duskpelt." The voice or voices that greeted her were one and many, too indistinct to be the mew of any one cat, too diverse to be one single voice. "We have waited three dawns for you to come to us. Have you made your decision? Will you place your paws on the path we have set for you and become FernClan's new leader?"

Duskpelt had not hidden for so long simply to emerge and refuse the position! She raised her head confidently and meowed, "Yes. I am ready to take my place as FernClan's leader."

A sigh seemed to whisper through the assembly, and the voice murmured, "Then we can begin."

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**Author's Note: And… done! Hopefully the idea (and the writing itself) isn't too lame. And now that chapter one is out, I can work on the next chapter of **_**Through Shadow and Fire**_**! Yay!**

**Again, if anyone's got a better name for Cloudcover, please let me know. I really have no idea why I called him Cloudcover…**


	3. Gathering Shadows

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the _Warriors _franchise. I do own the characters as they are listed in the allegiances, and I own the storyline and ideas for this fanfiction. All canonical _Warriors _attributes belong to the women behind Erin Hunter.

I have nothing funny for a _Warriors _disclaimer yet. Sad face.

**Dedication: **To chocolate and Hot Cheetos. Just not at the same time. Blech.

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**Chapter Two — Gathering Shadows  
**

**

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**Sparrowflight was the first to step forward. Duskpelt found herself unable to meet the she-cat's gaze as the deceased warrior touched the new leader's head with her muzzle.

"Duskpelt," Sparrowflight murmured; Duskpelt was surprised by the tone of forgiveness in her voice. "With your first life, I give you acceptance. Use it well to teach yourself and your Clan to accept all the difficulties your lives will face."

Duskpelt bit back a yowl as this first life coursed through her. It felt as though every hair on her pelt was burning with a flame as cold as the snowmelt that made the river border swell each greenleaf. Visions of tumbling rocks rolling down a steep cliff flashed behind her closed eyes, and a feeling of hopelessness and terror raced through her veins.

Duskpelt's legs quivered as Sparrowflight finally stepped back, eying the younger she-cat expressionlessly. When Duskpelt finally summoned the strength to raise her head again, Sparrowflight's blue eyes caught and held Duskpelt's gaze for a moment before she turned and padded back to her place in front of the crowd.

"I'm sorry, Sparrowflight," Duskpelt murmured. The older she-cat shook her head dismissively; there was nothing to forgive.

Squirrelpool was next; the former GraniteClan medicine cat was a much easier she-cat for Duskpelt to greet. In those terrifying moments when she had fought alongside Duskpelt to save the helpless Warmkit from the icy torrent that took her life, Squirrelpool had gone from being a rival Clan cat to becoming a friend.

The ginger medicine cat placed her muzzle against the top of Duskpelt's head and mewed, "With this life, I give you compassion. Use it to defend all who seek shelter and safety from you."

Like the first, this life coursed through Duskpelt painfully, but this time it was tinged with a fierce defiance of the shadows that threatened her and that kit — kits, but then it was one again when she looked away from it — that huddled behind her in terror. She didn't fear the shadows of this life; she _wanted _them to come at her, to try and snatch away the helpless scrap of fur she protected. She wanted those shadows to feel her claws.

Duskpelt gasped and nearly fell to the ground when Squirrelpool stepped away. Only two lives had been given to her so far, and she was already wishing she could receive the others without being able to feel them! How was she going to manage the next seven?

Duskpelt's father, Emberclaw, was the next cat to stride forward. His battle-hard muscles rippled under his dark grey coat as he came to a stop before his daughter. When he rested his muzzle atop her had, it was colder than anything Duskpelt had ever felt before.

"With this life, I give you endurance," he told her. "Use it to withstand times of great terror and uncertainty, so that your Clanmates do not see you crumble."

This life was even worse than swimming the snowmelt river to save Warmkit; the cold traveled from Emberclaw's muzzle to the very tip of Duskpelt's tail, seeping into her very bones until she felt she would freeze solid.

This time she did fall when Emberclaw stepped back into the crowd. Duskpelt could not rise before the next cat stepped forward, and he made sure she regretted it.

"Get up, you useless scrap of fluff," Grayowl growled. "What kind of leader can't endure her own ceremony?"

"And here I thought I missed that," Duskpelt grumbled. With some effort, she managed to haul herself back onto her paws. She wasn't too surprised to see the humor in her old mentor's green eyes, though the regret in them _was_ new.

"With this life, I give you determination." Grayowl's muzzle was the fire to Emberclaw's ice, and Duskpelt had to use every scrap of her willpower not to yowl. "Use it well to stay true to the paths you believe must be followed."

As he spoke, Duskpelt had the sensation that a great force was pushing against her, trying to force her to fall again. As she fought against it, the pain of this life grew. Only when she feared she would succumb to her weariness did Grayowl's life fade. The old tom said nothing as he gazed at his former apprentice for a moment before turning to stalk back into the assembled cats.

Barkfur came forward; her touch was soft and comforting after the last two lives.

"Duskpelt," she mewed, "With this life, I give to you love. Use it to care for all the cats who come to you seeking guidance and protection as you would care for your own kits."

This life was not nearly so gentle as the touch that provoked it. As with Squirrelpool's life, Duskpelt felt a ferocity that howled for all the dangers that surrounded her Clanmates, hidden and unhidden alike, to face her in battle or flee into the shadows they came from. But this fierceness ebbed away suddenly, leaving in its wake a soft, glowing warmth that encompassed all who sought shelter and safety. Duskpelt felt her strength return to her as her mother stepped away, her blue eyes gleaming with the love she had shown her kits throughout her entire life.

"Thank you, Barkfur," Duskpelt whispered. Her mother said nothing, only turned and went back to Emberclaw's side.

Now only four lives remained. Duskpelt watched a little warily as Palepaw came forward and touched his nose to hers.

"With this life, I give you selflessness," the apprentice meowed. "Use it to always put your Clanmates' safety before your own"

This life was the most agonizing yet; Duskpelt's eyes snapped shut as she struggled to say silent and standing. Suddenly, the young tom's words were good advice to follow at this very moment. If she hadn't been in so much pain, she would have been amused.

Behind the pain, Duskpelt found herself devoid of any thought for her own well-being. She stayed silent because she must endure each life, just as she would endure each death that ended them; she stayed standing because her Clanmates deserved a leader strong enough to withstand the greatest of agonies. She felt endless concern for every cat she knew — even the warriors of GraniteClan, FernClan's rivals for food and territory. Even Ternclaw and Sedgewhisker suddenly shared a small piece of the concern; what would happen to them, now that they were no longer part of any Clan?

This must have been what had marked Palepaw's life, Duskpelt realized as the apprentice returned to Sparrowflight. This was what made him the cat that he was. Her heart swelled again with grief and pride for the apprentice who should not have had to die. He would have made a brilliant warrior.

The next cat to step forward was Foxwing. His dark ginger pelt, blotched with white on his paws and tail, was almost an exact copy of the pelts of the foxes that had taken his life.

"With this life, Duskpelt, I give you courage." Like Grayowl's, Foxwing's muzzle burned against Duskpelt's head. "Use it to perform all that is demanded of a leader with certainty and faith in yourself and your Clan."

Fire raged through the new leader's body, until it felt as though she had been reduced to little more than a lump of coal and ash. When Foxwing's life ended, she saw the flash of teeth and smelled the foul breath of the fox that had delivered his deathblow. There was no fear in this memory, only a sense of duty that overrode all else.

As Foxwing stepped away, he flashed his tail across the tip of Duskpelt's nose; the look he gave her when she let out a startled mew was enough to tell her it was his way of flirting with her one last time.

Raggedtail came forward next. When his muzzle touched her head, Duskpelt saw his eyes glimmering with the humor he was so well-liked for by both of the Clans.

"Duskpelt, with this life I give to you humor and patience." Duskpelt was surprised by the double gift, but said nothing as Raggedtail continued, "Use humor to soften blows made against others by words and actions; use patience to understand when to grow firm with your Clanmates, and when to give them room to breathe and do what they must."

This was the only life that caused Duskpelt no pain; instead irritation and wry amusement filled her pelt, spawned from moons and moons of putting up with quarreling kits, argumentative apprentices, and headstrong warriors alike. Duskpelt winced when she realized one of the apprentices that had aggravated him the most had been her. When Raggedtail stepped away, his whiskers were twitching in amusement.

Snowstar was the final cat to come forward. His huge frame towered over his former deputy, and seemed to swell with pride as he looked down at her.

"Duskpelt." His deep mew flowed over the words. "I knew I chose well when I appointed you as my new deputy. Your time in the position was shorter than most, yet you fulfilled your duties tenfold, and even went beyond what was asked of you when it would help a cat in need." He stepped closer, and placed his muzzle on Duskpelt's head. "With this ninth and final life, I give to you the gifts of justice, nobility, and pride. Use them well to guide your Clanmates through their blackest hours and moments of greatest peace and happiness. Lead with a fair, unbiased heart; be brave and strong when your Clanmates cannot be; have faith in the worth of every cat, from the tiniest kit to the bravest warrior and weakest elder. Most of all, never stop believing in your own worth as FernClan's leader, even when others doubt your right to take the position."

Duskpelt could not contain her agony any longer; as this last life flooded her body, she yowled in pain and defiance of that pain. Every battle he had fought, every death he had died, every kit he had taught, every apprentice and warrior who had fought — and sometimes died — alongside him; all of these Snowstar gave to Duskpelt, and the pain and fear for his Clanmates that had haunted each of his deaths combined into one horrible moment that seemed to stretch on and on into eternity.

Duskpelt dug her claws into the hard stone underneath her, willing herself silent as the life began to ebb away, leaving behind a new sense of self she had never possessed before. She felt… stronger. And definitely more sure of herself. It was as though the fires of her nine new lives had burned away all of her old insecurities, leaving only this still-sore leader in their place.

Snowstar stepped away, but stayed before her as he mewed, "You are no longer the warrior Duskpelt, nor is your old life anymore. You are Duskstar, rightful leader of FernClan, and you have been given nine new lives to lead in the service of your Clanmates."

"Duskstar. Duskstar." The chant began quietly; then, as one, the cats of StarClan raised their voices, calling out her name to the stars above them in the singularly-multiple voice of the Clan. "Duskstar! Duskstar! Duskstar!"

Duskstar closed her eyes and drank in the chanting until it faded slowly into silence. When she opened her eyes, only Snowstar stood before her; the rest of StarClan had returned to the heavens.

The two leaders stood gazing at each other for several heartbeats. Old leader and new looked at what had been and contemplated what would be, and for one moment, their thoughts were as one.

"You will do well, Duskstar," Snowstar told his former deputy. "I wish you nothing but—"

He stopped mid-sentence, breaking off with a snarl as his white pelt bristled and his green eyes widened in shock and anger — the anger of a leader who could no longer defend his Clanmates.

Duskstar turned and saw a deep, blood-colored mist seeping towards her, floating too fast to be any natural phenomenon. As the mist reached the two leaders, Duskstar could smell death and fear, and the terrified wailing of Clan cats filled her ears as the mist began to drench her fur.

"Beware, Duskstar," Snowstar's voice sounded in her mind. "A scarlet mist will rise from the blackness to soak the mountain in blood."

Darkness swirled around Duskstar, drowning out her yowls as the mist turned into a torrent of foul-smelling blood.

Duskstar hissed and jumped to her feet, her eyes snapping open. For a moment, the peaceful rocks surrounding the Moonrock threw Duskstar off-guard; it took her a minute to remember that she had been asleep for her ceremony… and for the vision.

Honeyleaf ran around to stand near the edge of the cliff; with a sweeping motion of her tail, the medicine cat urged Duskstar to follow her away from the Moonrock. The new leader complied only too eagerly, desperate to be away from the usually-calming quarry. She only slowed her descent when loose stones began to tumble down the quarry. Remembering the terror Sparrowflight had shared with her, Duskstar slowed down, planting her paws and stepping carefully until she reached the bottom.

Honeyleaf landed next to her a moment later, her green eyes swirling with questions.

"What happened?" she asked Duskstar. "I saw the ceremony end, but then everything went black. Did you receive a prophecy?"

When her dusty-colored companion looked up at her, the leader's deep green eyes were dark with terror, and distant with the horror of whatever the vision had shown her. Pelt bristling, Duskstar dipped her head and spoke in such a low voice that Honeyleaf could only barely make out the words.

"FernClan will drown in their own blood," the new leader rasped. "Snowstar told me, _a scarlet mist will rise from the blackness to soak the mountain in blood_."

Honeyleaf felt her spine crawl as she mewed, "What does it mean? What did you see, Duskstar?"

Duskstar shivered and answered, "I saw only blackness. A mist smelling of blood, and the exact color of it, floated towards Snowstar and me. Snowstar spoke the prophecy, and then the mist turned into a flood…"

She shivered again, then looked up and meowed, "We must return to FernClan. We don't know when this danger will raise its head — we can't afford to leave our Clanmates unguarded."

܀܀܀

Four day's travel from the mountains, a small gathering of cats huddled together in an abandoned twoleg nest riddled with large holes and faulty walls. Sharp metal twigs jutted from the floor of the nest, and the roof overhead threatened to crumble on top of the seven underfed cats.

Three cats huddled in poorly-made nests of dried grass and leaves, while their other four companions watched the area around the nest through the gaping holes in the walls, their eyes frantic and haunted. In one corner of the gathering, a kit squealed pitifully, her tiny belly hollow from a short supply of milk from her starved surrogate mother.

"I'm hungry," she squeaked. "And my tummy hurts really bad!"

"I know, little one," her adoptive mother soothed. "But there is little we can do about that until the hunters come back. You'll just have to try and be patient." She licked the top of the kit's head, and sighed and laid her head down, too tired and hungry to even stay up more than a few moments. The kit moaned and huddled closer to the worn out queen, only to pop her head up again at the sound of approaching pawsteps.

A dusty brown tom, barely the same size as the queen, padded over to rasp his tongue across the kit's ears. His green eyes were more anxious than any other cat's as he gazed down at his only surviving kit.

"Shadowmoon, I'm _hungry,_" the kit complained again. She reached up and touched her nose to the side of her father's face.

"I know, Faintkit," he rumbled in a deep voice that did not match his appearance. "We're all hungry. But the hunters will be back soon, and then we won't be so hungry anymore. Do you think you can wait just a moment longer?"

"Okay," Faintkit grumbled. She rested her chin on her tiny paws with a pout. "I hope they hurry, though."

"As do the rest of us. But antagonizing Owlcall won't help any cat, sweet one." Shadowmoon nosed his daughter's fluffy kitten pelt, then padded back to his position at the largest hole of the nest, which had come to be the sort of entryway to the makeshift "den" within the nest. As the leader sat down and tried to hide how much the short walk had exhausted him, a small black tom rose from a shadowed corner and walked slowly over to Shadowmoon, looking just as haggard as his leader. The new cat's once-bright gold eyes were dull with fear and hunger.

"Shadowmoon," he mewed quietly. He sat heavily next to his leader. "I don't have the herbs to help any hunter that comes back injured. We must move out soon, find another nest with better prey to hunt…"

"We can't survive a journey when we are so weak, Ravenheart," Shadowmoon rumbled. His eyes flickered to his daughter for a moment. "Not if it's an endless journey with no new home waiting for us. Even this… nest… is better than dying out in an open field, cold and exposed to whatever lurks beyond this place."

"Then send a scout ahead," Ravenheart urged. "One of the stronger warriors. See if they don't find anything for us beyond this place."

"I would only succeed in sentencing that warrior to death." Shadowmoon's growl left no room for argument. Disheartened, Ravenheart turned and dragged himself back to his nest.

"What's the point?" a she-cat near Ravenheart wheezed. She could not even lift her head to look at the Clan's medicine cat; the only cat in MistClan who was skinnier than Shadowmoon, her dusty brown pelt bore scars and was stretched thin over the bones of her haggard body. Though she could not see, her cloudy gold eyes were fixed on Ravenheart.

"Shadowmoon won't listen to any cat now," the old cat continued. "Not as long as he thinks it's safer here."

"I know," Ravenheart sighed. "I just… don't want to see any more of our Clanmates die. We were thirty strong when we left our old dens near the twolegplace. Now our number barely hovers at eleven." He dipped his head, too tired to care if any other cat saw it as a sign that he was giving up. Maybe Lostsight was right — maybe he _should _stop trying to convince Shadowmoon to move, and just accept whatever happened to them next.

"We must have faith in MoonClan," Lostsight told him in her strange, broken mew. "They will not lead us to destruction."

"MoonClan have not helped us yet," Ravenheart hissed. "All MoonClan have done is lead us out in the middle of this fox den so that we can die slow, painful deaths."

"If you want to be angry at anything," Shadowmoon meowed over his shoulder, "Be angry at the twolegs who pushed us from our homes. Without their evil, we wouldn't have had to move in the first place."

Ravenheart's lips curled back.

Twolegs. The pink, up-walking creatures had come into the fields and bunches of trees that he and the other former loners had lived in for countless moons and begun destroying patch by patch of land with giant yellow monsters that belched smoke and crushed everything in their paths. A group of cats that had included many of Ravenheart, Shadowmoon, and Lostsight's kin had attacked the twolegs, only to be killed by the monsters or taken away into the twolegplace.

Shadowmoon had left the destruction for a short time with his mate, a kittypet-turned-loner known as Kaya. When they returned nearly a quarter-moon later, they claimed to have seen a vision of the dead cats from the attack patrol while they slept. In the vision they described, the cats had told them of the mountains that were home to groups of cats who lived in Clans, and of the ancestors of those cats who watched over their old Clanmates even after death. Shadowmoon — then known as Silt — had tried to convince the others that he had been chosen to lead the remaining loners in their own Clan. But his words were met by angry protests and rumors that he and his mate had grown mad while they had been away from their old companions.

It wasn't until there was nowhere left for the loners to live or hide that the twenty or so cats had finally banded together as MistClan, named (according to Shadowmoon) for the way they would rise from the sheets of ash and smoke left by the monsters and become a powerful Clan in their own right. It wasn't just loners who had joined the Clan, either; several kittypets had run away from their owners and accompanied the loners as they left, which brought the umber of cats to around thirty.

Their numbers should have provided protection and bountiful food. But the kittypets knew nothing of life without regularly-supplied food and water, and several loners were too hungry to hunt only as they needed to. Within three sunrises, thirty had dropped to eleven — four kittypets, seven former loners. Shortly after delivering Faintkit, Shadowmoon's mate, now called Lightclaw, was attacked by a wild dog that took down four other cats before the Clan succeeded in bringing it down.

The loss had devastated Shadowmoon, and the leader had refused for more than a quarter-moon to leave the place where he had spent his last nights with Lightclaw. Ravenheart understood that much, but he also understood that the rest of MistClan would die as well if they did not find a new, better-stocked home soon.

Shadowmoon's ears suddenly pricked; Ravenheart lifted his head and saw a group of cats pacing slowly towards the nest. He couldn't tell whether they carried any prey, but he knew they were the cats that had gone out to hunt.

Somehow, Shadowmoon and Ravenheart were able to drag themselves to their paws and move into the cruel sunlight to meet their returning Clanmates. Both toms halted, however, when they saw that there were only four cats in the party.

Shadowmoon had sent their _five _best hunters.

"Where is Lilypelt?" Shadowmoon asked when the closest cat — a pale ginger tom with white markings and blazing yellow eyes — was within earshot.

"We thought she'd come back," the tom answered, dropping the small bird he'd caught. "Shadowmoon, isn't she here already?"

"I told you I smelled fox." The shaky mew belonged to a much darker ginger cat, who stood close behind the ginger tom with two mice piled before her front paws. Her green eyes were wide with terror. "Goldeneye, it must have gotten hold of Lilypelt! And if it did, it's close enough to the nest to follow our scents right back to this nest. We're all in danger now!"

"Calm down, Flameclaw," Goldeneye ordered, though his pelt bristled nervously. "We took down that wild dog; who's to say we can't take down some mangy, underfed fox?"

"It isn't underfed anymore," a dark brown tom growled. He, too carried prey: a large brown lizard that would feed Owlcall and the slowly-weaning Faintkit both.

"We must leave," the fourth cat of the hunting party spoke up. His pale yellow body was nearly as thin as Shadowmoon's, and for the same reason. Neither tom ate before the other cats were fed. "Shadowmoon, I know you still mourn for Lightclaw, but not even she would have wanted you to destroy our Clan like this. Please… for your daughter's sake, for all our sakes, send a cat or two ahead to look for a safer home." His yellow-green eyes bored into Shadowmoon's soft green ones, pleading.

Shadowmoon took a breath, as if to argue. Then he paused, thinking over the news the hunting party had brought and the truth in Grassleap's words. After a moment, he dipped his head and mewed, "Come inside. We'll get every cat fed, and then I want a word with Flameclaw and Goldeneye."

܀܀܀

It was nearly sunhigh when Duskstar and Honeyleaf returned to camp. Warmkit, who had strayed from the elder's den while chasing a small lizard, was the first to hear their approach.

"Sablepelt!" the kit mewed, rushing over to where her closest friend lay sunning herself in a patch of warm sunlight. "I think Duskstar and Honeyleaf are back! I can hear pawsteps!"

Sablepelt lazily opened one eye and asked, "And how can you hear them if none of the rest of us can, kit? Are you sure that isn't the bees in your brain you're hearing?"

A few of the warriors who had stayed behind heard Sablepelt and purredin amusement. Though few of them knew much about Warmkit other than that she was incredibly shy around most cats, it was hard for them to dislike anything about FernClan's adopted kit.

"What's so funny?" Silverspot grumbled. "I don't see anything worth laughing about."

Her words cut through the good humor of her Clanmates; several warriors glanced awkwardly down at their paws or into the forest, unsure how to respond to the silver she-cat's anger.

"Roseflight chose her own path, Silverspot." Thunderstep rose from his own patch of sunlight and padded over to stand in front of the foul-tempered she-cat. "Don't take your feelings out on the rest of us."

"That's easy enough for you to say, Thunderstep," Silverspot hissed. Her fur bristled as she unsheathed her claws into the ground underpaw. "You weren't as close to Roseflight as I was. She was like a sister to me, and she couldn't even tell me!"

"She didn't tell any of us, either." Thunderstep's eyes were flat with repressed sadness. "Not even her father. Not even Reedkit. Do you think you're the only cat suffering from this?"

Warmkit watched with wide yellow eyes as the two warriors continued to argue. Just as the Clan cats knew little about her, neither did Warmkit know much about her Clanmates. Roseflight had been a she-cat she'd tried to avoid even more, because there had always been something about the warrior that had made Warmkit's pelt crawl. Sablepelt told her she was being silly, but now it seemed she'd been right not to trust Roseflight. And she couldn't understand why Silverspot was so upset; she didn't remember her mother, or any siblings, and Sablepelt, Reedkit, and Rowanpelt were all still part of FernClan.

A small, endlessly-worrying part of Warmkit's mind wondered if perhaps she should feel bad about not being able to feel sorry for Roseflight leaving or Silverspot's resulting pain. She quickly lost that train of thought when Duskpelt and Honeyleaf padded into the camp.

Almost immediately, Duskpelt was swarmed by most of the cats who had accompanied her to the Gathering.

"Duskpe- no, it's Duskstar now, isn't it?" Berryflight purred, touching noses with her friend. Slatepelt and Ambermoon mewed similar greetings as they twined themselves around their new leader's body. Palefur even appeared from the nursery to add her own congratulations before hurrying back to her squealing kits.

Sablepelt watched Warmkit, wondering if the kit would greet Duskstar this time. She certainly seemed to _want _to, but she remained planted at Sablepelt's side, watching the other cats with envious eyes.

"Go say hello, Warmkit," the elder suggested. She nudged the little furball with her forepaw. "She's still the same she-cat you've always known — she just has more lives and a different name now, that's all."

"But she's seen _StarClan,_" Warmkit whispered. Awe replaced envy as she looked up at Sablepelt with wide eyes. "They've _talked _to her."

Sablepelt started to tell the young kit that wasn't important, then decided against it, instead shaking her head and sighing. Warmkit would just have to decide for herself when and where she wanted to start getting to know her Clanmates. Pushing her into it would only make her more reluctant. Besides, she got along well enough with Reedkit and Rowanpelt. Perhaps all she needed was a little more time as a member of FernClan.

And a mentor. Warmkit and Reedkit were more than six moons old, and would have been made apprentices the day Snowstar was attacked. It was long past the time for them to take their next pawsteps into becoming full-fledged members of the Clan. Hopefully, Duskstar understood that.

"Oh, joy," a voice murmured a few tail-lengths from Sablepelt. "The almighty Duskstar returns."

"Silverspot, no cat said you had to approve of Snowstar's choice," Sablepelt sighed, "We're all quite aware that you think you should have been the next leader, but you weren't chosen as Snowstar's successor."

The silver she-cat knew better than to spit at an elder, though by the furious look in her eyes that was exactly what she wanted to do. She rose and stalked away to sit near Cloverstep as she had the day before. Whatever Cloverstep said, it didn't do much to calm his littermate down.

Duskstar watched the scene quietly, distracted for a moment by the show of unease among her Clanmates. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly; Silverspot had never liked her, and now it seemed she was determined to undermine her leadership in any way she could quietly do so — even if that meant antagonizing the elders into growing weary of any leadership that made Silverspot's hackles go up.

"So, who will you choose as your new deputy?" Slatepelt asked, shattering Duskstar's train of thought. "Probably Thunderstep, huh? Or Ambermoon?"

"I, er… Well, I, uh, I haven't really, erm, thought much about it, yet," Duskstar stammered, scrambling to catch up with the conversation. "But whoever I do, um, choose, it'll be a cat I can trust to, uh, be the best help in keeping the Clan together, so don't get upset if it isn't someone you like."

Slatepelt's eyes glittered. "You're trying too hard," he told her, butting his head against her shoulder. "Relax. You'll get the hang of this."

"Is _my _former apprentice trying to teach _me _how to lead the Clan?" Duskstar teased. Her tiny crowd purred with laughter and padded away, giving the new leader space enough to breathe as they returned to their friends.

Free to let her eyes wander around her camp, Duskstar sensed there was a cat missing, one whose scent had not been part of the hunting patrol whose trail she and Honeyleaf had crossed on their way home. After a moment, she realized she could not see or smell the reddish-tan Roseflight anywhere in the camp.

"Where is Roseflight?" she asked, interrupting whatever Honeyleaf had started to murmur. "Was her scent mixed with the others?"

Honeyleaf shook her head, her eyes confused. "I didn't pick up her scent," she mewed. "Not even in the camp entrance. Nothing fresh, anyway."

Duskstar sank her claws into the ground to keep from swaying on her paws. She had only just returned with her nine lives, new name, and Snowstar's dark prophecy, and already there was a warrior missing from her Clan. Duskstar suddenly felt as though everything was beginning to fall apart before she could even begin to get her bearings as the new leader.

Sablepelt and Warmkit, who sat nearest to the two she-cats, both pricked their ears and looked to Duskstar uncertainly. Should they tell their new leader now, or should they wait until she'd at least had something to eat and time to rest from her journey?

Duskstar saw the movement from the corner of her eyes, and looked over in time to lock gazes with the pale-furred Warmkit. The almost frenzied worry in the older cat's eyes was enough to pull the kit to her feet and push her forward, if at a slow, hesitant pace. Sablepelt flinched, but did not call the kit back or try to limp after her; instead, the elder watched with narrowed, curious yellow eyes as the kit came to a halt in front of Duskstar.

"Roseflight…" Warmkit's voice squeaked with her nervousness. She stopped, ears twitching rapidly, to clear her throat. When she spoke again, it was to the ground. "Roseflight left the camp last night, Duskstar. Silverspot and… and Cloverstep," she pronounced the names awkwardly, unsure if those were their names even after a moon living in FernClan, "tried to follow her scent, but it went straight across the river. No one's seen or scented her today." She lifted her pale yellow eyes to glance shyly up at her leader again.

Duskstar's eyes flashed with shock, and the she-cat nearly fell onto her haunches before she remembered her Clanmates were watching her. She shook her head, as if to clear water from her ears, and looked down at Warmkit with a forcedly gentle gaze.

"I see," she mewed, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Thank you, Warmkit." She leaned down and licked the kit between the ears, then turned and walked slowly to her den, Honeyleaf following her close behind.

* * *

**Author's Note: Finally, I'm done with this monster! Gah!**

**This chapter was surprisingly hard to end—I kept wanting to add more and more and more. But then I looked at the number of pages and words and thought, "My readers will hate me if I make this chapter any longer." So, in the interests of allowing you to keep loving me (does that sound vain?), I cut it off at the first neat ending I could find. Now I have to trudge through the writer's block and finish the next chapter of **_**Through Shadow and Fire**_**. KaizenUchiha, if you're reading this, I thank you for your immense patience.**


	4. Ceremonies

**Disclaimer: **Okay, I've got one: I do not own the _Warriors _franchise, series, ideas, etc. BUT I do own cutesy widdle Jaypaw… -tries to hug Jaypaw and is immediately clawed- OW!

_Do it right, Wrath._

Fine! I don't even own Jaypaw… Curse my rotten luck.

**Dedication: **To having friends who sympathize with you when your moron choir classmates treat you like the bad guy for getting pissed off when they won't do their share of the work during sectionals. Also, to knowing it's not an ego trip to state very civilly and without mentioning names that the reason you're so pissed is because you'd prefer to work in a team, not a group of idiot females who think choir is "let's talk and text and write on each other" time. Lastly, this is dedicated to anyone who becomes very irate when their classmates pull the pushy "family" thing on you. You can't say anything because it would be in bad taste, but if you're the one who knows even close-knit families argue now and then, the whole, "Let's not argue guys — we're a family here," bull kinda gets old, ne?

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**Chapter Three: Leadership

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**

In the forests that separated the Clan territories from the twolegplace to the north, two cats traveled side-by-side down a slope on an old, unused cattle track. One, a night-black female with vibrant gold eyes, carried a mouse in her jaws; to her right, a rust-colored tom with a mangled back foot clutched between his teeth the wing of a freshly-killed sparrow.

The two cats halted under the shade of an old pine tree near the base of the slope and settled down to eat their kills. Despite their well-fed appearances, both ate rapidly, their eyes flickered all around their surroundings even as they tore into their meals. Only yesterday, they had nearly lost food to an interloper who'd mistaken them for soft, ill-trained kittypets. The tabby had been quick to realize her mistake after both turned out to be quite skilled fighters, but the next time the two had to fight for food, there might not be only one foolish cat to claw at.

"It's been five sunsets since we left the twolegplace," the black cat commented when she'd swallowed the last of her meal. She sat up and licked her whiskers clean before adding, "I'd say we've done pretty well, for 'soft little twoleg toys'."

Her companion looked up at her and swallowed his last mouthful before mewing, "_Anything _is better than the twolegs I had to put up with." He glanced ruefully at his maimed hind foot. It didn't impair his movement or speed, but it was quite the eyesore, and it tended to ache in colder weather.

The black she-cat swiped one paw over her friend's ears with an affectionate purr.

"Silly Pine," she told him, "You make it sound as though we could be doing a lot better. Come on, cheer up; at least we haven't been eaten by any hawks or attacked by a badger. Do you think Spicy or Fluffers or Boots could have done so well?"

"Those three are the laziest, most harebrained cats alive," Pine retorted. "A kit could do better than them. And what about the wild cats Ashes told us about when we left? Why haven't we seen any of them yet?" As he spoke, Pine's yellow eyes flickered warily across the landscape again.

"Maybe Ashes was just trying to spook us into staying," the black cat suggested. "Or maybe we haven't reached their territory yet."

"I don't think Ashes was trying to scare us," Pine murmured. "He seemed genuinely concerned…" He looked at his companion and asked, "Turk, what if we really haven't found their territory yet? When we come across their border — if they have one — should we go around? I mean, we _were _pets before this. Maybe the wild cats would see a snack, not two other cats."

Turk snorted and said, "I think you're worrying too much. Have you ever heard anything other than scary stories about cats eating other cats? I wouldn't do that if I was starving to death and had a litter of kits on the way!" Then the humor faded from her eyes, and she looked at her paws for a long time before she meowed, "But they might see us as a threat. We may be attacked—maybe even… even crippled." Both cats knew what she had really meant to say.

Pine ran his tail down Turk's flank and purred, "We don't have to decide now. We've covered a lot of ground already; why don't we find someplace to rest before we move on?"

Turk looked up and blinked gratefully at her friend before rising to her feet and leading the way to a small, sheltered crevice in the base of the slope.

܀܀܀

"Duskstar, please tell me you aren't planning to mope for another three sunrises," Honeyleaf mewed as she followed her leader into the den below the fallen tree. "There are two kits ready for apprenticeship, and you must choose your deputy before moonhigh tonight."

"I know that," Duskstar sighed. Someone — Thunderstep, by the smell that clung to the bed of ferns and moss — had replaced her old nest recently. The dusty calico she-cat sank gratefully into the springy, strong-smelling nest, purring as aching muscles began to pulse with relief. "I just need some time to think, that's all."

"Then think," Honeyleaf replied. "But no longer than nightfall. The patrols will be back by then, and moonhigh comes earlier this season." She turned to pad out of the den, then paused, seeming to think of something. She looked back at Duskstar and meowed, "And Duskstar… don't make your decisions based on who you like or don't like. Make them based on who you can and cannot trust."

Before Duskstar could reply, the medicine cat turned and walked out into the clearing, leaving the new leader alone with her thoughts. Duskstar sighed, glad that no one had brought her any fresh-kill; despite the wearisome journey home, with so much to do, she suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

First and most important was the task of assigning mentors to Warmkit and Reedkit. With Palepaw's death, FernClan had been left without apprentices, and with Snowstar's prophecy looming heavily on her shoulders, Duskstar knew the Clan needed all the warriors and apprentices they could get. But which two cats would be appropriate mentors to the two shyest apprentices in the history of the Clans?

There were a few cats Duskstar immediately crossed off the list. Hazelface, though the oldest and most experienced tom in the Clan, was too brash and short-tempered, and was better suited to an apprentice who learned quickly and could put up with any verbal abuse the old warrior could lash out with; Warmkit and Reedkit could put up with Sablepelt, but Sablepelt knew when to be patient and when to cuff an unruly kit about the ears. Hazelface lacked that restraint.

Cloverstep, though noble and brave, was too eager to excel at everything he did, and often grew impatient whenever he or another cat failed to meet that expectation. Though Cloverstep would mean well, both Reedkit and Warmkit would feel as though they would never be anything short of worthless if they proved to be slower learners than Cloverstep would like them to be.

Ambermoon and Berryflight were also less than a good fit for mentors. Ambermoon was nearly as careless as her old mentor Hazelface when it came to dealing with GraniteClan or non-Clan cats, and only put her claws away during border disputes when ordered to by the Clan leader or deputy. Berryflight wasn't nearly so reckless, but she tended to make matters worse by trying to help without first considering what it was that needed to be done. Both she-cats could lead their apprentices into disasters without meaning to, and Duskstar knew neither she nor any other cat was ready for the deaths of anymore apprentices so soon after Ternclaw and Sedgewhisker's betrayal.

That narrowed the choices down to three: Silverspot, Slatepelt, and Thunderstep. Duskstar narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she sat up and began to groom her flank.

Thunderstep's latest apprentice, Cloverstep, had been made a warrior just a quarter-moon ago. While the tawny warrior joked that he was glad he no longer had to watch two tails instead of just his own, Duskstar had the feeling that Thunderstep's good-natured mews held some level of truth. Cloverstep and Slatepelt had been apprenticed at the same time, but Cloverstep's impatience with himself had led to him pushing too hard and staying laid up from border skirmishes and battle training longer than his brother, which had drawn his apprenticeship out a month longer than Slatepelt's.

Thunderstep deserved a break, Duskstar decided. Give him a chance to watch his own hide, without constantly worrying about an apprentice as well.

So then Silverspot and Slatepelt would mentor Reedkit and Warmkit. But who should have which apprentice?

At least that question was easy enough to answer. While Duskstar flinched at the idea of placing Reedkit under Silverspot's guidance, the leader had to admit that Silverspot was a loyal Clan cat who looked after her Clanmates as though they were kin. She had never shown any antagonism towards any kits — not even Warmkit, who was not a Clanborn cat. If anything, Silverspot's temper was at its quietest when she was in the presence of kits and apprentices.

And there was absolutely no way Duskstar would put Warmkit in the fierce she-cat's mentorship. There was a good chance that Reedkit would become emboldened as Silverspot's apprentice; Warmkit would only grow even mousier than she was, if such a thing was possible.

So then Slatepelt would have Warmkit, and Reedkit would go to Silverspot. Both were chancy decisions, but Duskstar couldn't see any serious problems that might arise from the pairings, unless Rowanpelt and Sablepelt strongly disapproved of her choices. Even then, the worst that Duskstar could imagine happening was Sablepelt coming to claw her leader's ears off for putting Reedkit with Silverspot. Not necessarily a pleasant thing to dwell on, but at least the Clan wouldn't suffer for it.

Duskstar moved down her flank to clean rock dust and pine needles from her tail. That was one decision made; now all she needed to do was figure out who she wanted as her deputy. Immediately her thoughts flickered to Slatepelt, or Berryflight, or Thunderstep, or maybe even Ambermoon…

_Don't make decisions based on who you do or don't like. _Honyleaf's words echoed in Duskstar's mind. _Make them based on who you can and cannot trust._

Duskstar paused mid-lick, then grimaced and went back to washing her tail more vigorously than before. Honeyleaf was right; she shouldn't choose a deputy who would agree with her and always be her friend. Raggedtail hadn't always agreed with Snowstar, and Duskstar could count the times she had seen Ternclaw publicly disagree with Witheredstar, even before he turned out to be a traitor.

Yet both had been effective teams, and their respective Clans had thrived under a leadership tested again and again by the flames of disagreement. Sometimes, by arguing with a cat's partner, both cats could come to a better option than either had seen before. That didn't mean that Duskstar should choose a cat who despised her and would disagree with her just to be contrary, but it did mean that choosing her closest friends or her littermate was probably not the best idea.

But the deputy might also become the next Clan leader; with that in mind, Duskstar knew her choice also had to ensure that FernClan would be in safe paws if she lost all nine of her lives while her first deputy was still alive. Hazelface was old enough to at least consider retiring; putting such an old tom in charge would jeopardize the Clan's safety, and Hazelface's apparent lust for battle would ensure that neither Clan lived peacefully during his leadership. Duskstar sat up and turned to clean her other flank as her thoughts continued to follow their path.

Thunderstep was cautious and sure, and had mentored two apprentices — Roseflight had been his first — but he was sometimes quick to accuse before he had all of the facts. That hasty behavior could lead the Clan into serious trouble if trouble with GraniteClan arose during his leadership. Perhaps he would learn in time, but he was old enough now that he might also never learn to tread carefully _all _of the time.

Slatepelt and Berryflight were too young; Duskstar wouldn't risk putting them in the same position she was in now. They needed more time to become sure, experienced warriors before she would consider making one of them her deputy. And Berryflight was her sister; it might look bad to the cats who were uneasy about her leadership if Duskstar made her own kin the deputy.

Cloverstep had never had an apprentice, so there was no way he could be the deputy. And even if he was eligible, there was still his need to get everything right the first time to consider. That could only end in disaster if he was the deputy or even leader. He would berate himself to the point of insanity, end might lash out at any cat who tried to reassure him, which would create more enemies than friends.

So then it was either Ambermoon or Silverspot. Duskstar's ears twitched as she started to clean under one foreleg; what a miserable choice. She would like to have Ambermoon by her side as the deputy, but she had already admitted to herself that her closest friend was too hot-tempered for an apprentice. If Ambermoon couldn't be trusted to train and care for one cat who was several moons younger than she was, how could Duskstar possibly trust her with the safety of the entire _Clan?_

But if Duskstar _didn't _choose Ambermoon… then that left only Silverspot, who had disliked Duskstar ever since the two were kits. Well, perhaps _disliked _was the wrong word; the silver warrior's feelings seemed to lean more towards utter hatred these days. How could FernClan survive whatever danger was approaching the territories if their leader and deputy were constantly at each other's throats?

_Why did Rowanpelt have to lose his hearing so soon? _Duskstar wondered fretfully. _And why couldn't Sablepelt have stayed off that stupid hind leg like she was supposed to, instead of going out to hunt as soon as it stopped aching whenever she wasn't using it? Great StarClan, no cat ever warned me leading a Clan would be so difficult in times of peace!_

Duskstar heaved a long, heavy sigh and flopped back down into her nest again. She wrapped both front paws over her nose and groaned as she continued to waver back and forth between Ambermoon and Silverspot. Both were brave, loyal she-cats — even if it scorched Duskstar's ears to compare her friend to the closest thing to an enemy she had in FernClan — but both had tempers that were hard to predict and even harder to calm. And after Sparrowflight's death, Silverspot had had nothing but ill to say about Duskstar, judging from the bits and pieces the new leader had heard during her three-day hideaway.

Although… Could what Sablepelt had said to Silverspot earlier be true? Could Silverspot's antagonism come from a jealousy at Duskstar's position in the Clan? Perhaps Silverspot really hated her leader so much because she felt Snowstar had appreciated his old apprentice more than his own daughter. If that was the case, then it would take a long time to patch things up with Silverspot — but her dislike of Duskstar was the only thing keeping the calico she-cat from choosing her over Ambermoon. Her temper burned longer than Ambermoon's did, and she could be unnaturally cold-hearted to those she despised, but she was able to think through her anger. Ambermoon's blinded her as long as it lasted.

And Silverspot _was _indisputably loyal; she had been the most devastated by the deaths of Snowstar, Palepaw, and Sparrowflight, and still seemed to mourn their passings, even though the rest of the Clan had begun to move on. She even cared for the cats of GraniteClan — that much she had proven in her concern for the GraniteClan warriors Stripetail and Swiftnose, both of whom had also lost their lives the night Ternclaw and Sedgewhisker had been chased from the territories. And she was young enough that she would be able to grow into a more patient cat with time. She learned faster than most other cats, and despite her temper, she usually was one of the first to step in and calm any situation where Ambermoon or Berryflight lost their heads (even if her way of doing so did involve some spitting and insulting on her part).

_Besides, _part of Duskstar's mind whispered, _Whoever said that you don't have any faults? If you die early, Silverspot won't hide for half a quarter-moon before going to receive her name and nine lives!_

Duskstar sighed again and tucked her paws back under her chin, gasping as the air came through her nose more easily. Though she was still worried about her decisions, she knew she had made the best choices she could, and now that the decisions had been made, she was relieved that, for the moment, her mind was at peace enough to allow her some time to sleep before she would have to climb onto the Fallen Tree and make her choices known to FernClan.

܀܀܀

In GraniteClan, things were not as peaceful. Still shaken by Ternclaw and Sedgewhisker's actions and consequential exile, many of the GraniteClan cats buzzed with anger and confusion over what had become of their once-trustworthy deputy. The cats who were most inconsolable were Ternclaw's parents and sister, the latter of whom had been given her brother's old position.

In the elder's den, Blackfrost and Sweetwind found comfort only in Cloudcover's constant reassurances that they had had no part in the way Ternclaw had turned out. Sweetwind was beginning to come around from her grief, but Blackfrost remained incensed and incredibly disheartened by his son's treachery. The old tom scarcely ate enough to stay healthy, and his eyes were now clouded with unhappiness. Sleep no longer came easily to him, and his temper had grown even sharper and easier to rouse in the days following the Gathering.

The black tom curled tightly in his nest, gold eyes staring blankly at the den wall as his mate washed his unkempt fur back into its original gloss. His mind swirled with fury and questions that he could not answer, and he did not notice that his claws kneaded the moss beneath him in a constant, agitated cycle.

Sweetwind finally sighed and settled next to her mate, resting her tail against his flank and nosing the fur on his cheek as she murmured, "It can't be undone, my love. Ternclaw has chosen his path; how could we have seen what it would be?"

Blackfrost only blinked and twitched one ear to show that he had heard her. Sweetwind watched him for a moment; when he did not look back at her, she sighed again and rested her chin on her paws. As she began to fall asleep, she heard Blackfrost give a little sigh of his own, and felt him rasp his tongue across her ears before he, too, settled down and went to sleep.

Across the GraniteClan cave, Hollywing paced back and forth near the entrance to the warrior's den, her green eyes fixed on the ground before her paws. Like Blackfrost, she had yet to even begin to work through the anger and hurt at what her brother and his friend had done. Snowstar had been a powerful but fair leader; he should have had many more moons to share with his Clan before he had joined StarClan. But Ternclaw and Sedgewhisker had ripped those moons away from him with every claw mark he'd left in the great leader's flesh, and had even taken the lives of an apprentice, a mother, and two of GraniteClan's own warriors before their banishment.

How could her littermate have grown so corrupt? Hollywing remembered playing with Ternclaw as kits; as apprentices, they had tried to remain close, but by the time they received their warrior names, Ternclaw had grown distant and temperamental towards the still-lighthearted Hollywing, and their friendship had chilled even before Ternclaw became the new deputy after Witheredstar's first deputy, Hawktail.

But Ternclaw had never been so… so _evil _before! The worst crime he'd ever committed before Snowstar's death was snapping at a kit who'd pounced on his tail one too many times. The worst Sedgewhisker could have ever been accused of was mocking his apprentice — which had been Hollywing herself — for failing to catch a sparrow she shouldn't even have gone after! How could the two warriors have turned bad so easily, and without any warning at all?

"Hollywing?"

The she-cat stopped pacing and looked up to see Witheredstar watching her a few tail-lengths away. His blue eyes were narrowed in sympathy as he beckoned her closer with a twitch of his tail.

"What is it, Witheredstar?" Hollywing asked as she sat before her leader.

"I understand you and your family still ache over your brother's… actions," Witheredstar mewed. He let his tail rest atop Hollywing's front paws. "But we need to put that behind us now, and move on. The rest of the Clan need their leaders to be strong now more than ever. And don't think you're the only cats who re so deeply affected by this."

"I know you must feel as betrayed as we do, Witheredstar," Hollywing said, dipping her nose as she spoke. "But Ternclaw was my—"

"I wasn't referring to myself," Witheredstar interrupted. "Though you are right to assume that his betrayal pains me as though he was my own son. I was referring to the young she-cat who is currently refusing to play or share tongues with her fellow apprentices."

He flicked his tail to indicate the lonely form of Needlepaw, Ternclaw's former apprentice. The pale tabby was crouched over what must have been the smallest piece of fresh-kill the warriors had brought in today, staring at the vole as though it was a kit she had watched fall from the cliff. Hollywing could tell the apprentice had lost weight; she was nearly as small as Windpaw, though she was older than the white tom by nearly two moons, and her hips looked sharper under hr ruffled coat than they should be.

"Perhaps if one of Ternclaw's kin were to speak to her, she wouldn't feel as though she had anything to do with his betrayal," Witheredstar mewed. Hollywing turned away from Needlepaw in time to watch as the old tom padded away and leapt up to the leader's den. As soon as his tail disappeared past the ledge outside his den, Hollywing rose to her feet and padded uncertainly over to where Needlepaw was crouched. The she-cat didn't even twitch her ears as Hollywing settled in next to her.

"You know, that vole isn't going to eat itself," Hollywing mewed gently. She brushed her tail along Needlepaw's spine, and her whiskers twitched in humor as the apprentice finally seemed to notice the deputy's presence next to her.

"H-Hollywing," Needlepaw stammered. Her yellow eyes were wide with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't notice you were there."

"It's fine," Hollywing soothed. "Although really, you should eat that vole before it gets any colder. We can't afford to waste any food, not even during Greenleaf. And you shouldn't starve yourself; how will you ever become a warrior if you're as small as the kits?" She narrowed her eyes at Needlepaw's clumped, unwashed fur and added, "A wash now and then never hurts, either."

Needlepaw's eyes fell to her front paws as she whispered, "Are you sure any cat will even want me to become a warrior? Ternclaw was my first mentor — what if they're afraid that I'll turn out to be like him?"

"Nonsense," Hollywing purred. "No cat is mouse-brained enough to think that you'll ever be anything like Ternclaw. We're more worried that you'll be the first skin-and-bones warrior GraniteClan has ever had." She washed the fur behind Needlepaw's ears affectionately, ignoring the way the apprentice squirmed indignantly. Even if she wasn't Hollywing's daughter, the deputy couldn't help but feel a sort of bond connecting her to the younger she-cat. Perhaps Ternclaw's betrayal hadn't been entirely bad, after all.

"Okay, okay," Needlepaw griped, "I'll eat more and clean up! Stop smothering me!" She purred and batted at Hollywing's muzzle before turning and tucking into the vole. Hollywing watched her for a moment, then rose and padded to the elders' den to speak with her parents.

Perhaps StarClan had allowed this to happen so that GraniteClan's bonds to each other would grow stronger than ever. The thought made a little of the weight in Hollywing's heart fade away like a fine mist.

܀܀܀

It was sundown when Duskstar woke from her nap. The leader rose to her feet and stretched luxuriously before relieving herself of a massive yawn. She shook her pelt out, licked a few stray tufts of fur back into place, and finally padded out into the camp.

The hunting and border patrols had returned, and FernClan was gathered together in small knots of three or four, sharing pieces of fresh kill and mewing in hushed, contented tones.

Just outside the nursery, Palefur was halfway through her mouse when Meadowkit, in pursuit of a stray leaf, tripped over a small rock and tumbled against her mother's side, startling a small yelp out of the queen. Nearby, Tawnyclaw was watching in amusement as Shadowkit and Thrushkit fought over the last bite of a vole; Thrushkit seemed to have the upper hand, as he quickly knocked his littermate to the ground before spinning to gulp down the last few bites of fresh-kill. Shadowkit squealed in fury and tackled his brother, and then the two kits are wrestling with each other again.

In the elders' den, Sablepelt and Rowanpelt were sharing a sparrow and a fat dormouse, while Warmkit and Reedkit both had mice of their own to tuck into. Silverspot, Cloverstep, and Hazelface were grouped together nearby, all eating with their backs to the leader's den — though Duskstar caught Cloverstep casting one curious glance over his shoulder at her.

Thunderstep and Slatepelt were eating near the medicine cat's den, and not far from them, Honeyleaf ate with Ambermoon and Berryflight; those five, at least, didn't seem agitated in the least, and seemed to be joking quietly with each other. As Duskstar watched, Ambermoon reached over and boxed Slatepelt across the ears for a murmured comment he had made a heartbeat earlier. Slatepelt retaliated by whacking her across the muzzle with his tail.

Duskstar savored the peaceful scene a moment longer before catching Sablepelt's glance and blinking once. Sablepelt and Rowanpelt immediately turned and started casually grooming their respective kits, ignoring the way the bundles of fur squirmed and complained about being treated like newborns.

Duskpelt's lips twitched into a smile as she turned and leapt atop the Fallen Tree. Once she'd regained her balance, she straightened to her full height and yowled, "Let those cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Fallen Tree for a Clan meeting!"

One by one, the cats of FernClan began to crowd around beneath the Fallen Tree. Palefur and Tawnyclaw herded their kits into the nursery, where all five denmates watched the meeting from the entrance. Hazelface, Silverspot, and Cloverstep stayed at the back of the gathering, while the elders had pushed Reedkit and Warmkit to the very front.

Once the cats had settled, Duskstar meowed, "There are two very important ceremonies which must take place tonight. FernClan needs new warriors now more than ever, and even though no cat will ever replace Snowstar, Sparrowflight, or noble Palepaw, we will at least be able to proclaim that our Clan's strength continues with the naming of two new apprentices. Warmkit, Reedkit, step forward."

Reedkit step tentatively forward, stopping only a few tail-lengths away from his father. Sablepelt had to shove Warmkit forward with her nose; Duskstar couldn't quite catch what the older she-cat hissed to her adopted charge. Both kits quivered with nervousness and excitement as they stared up at their leader.

"Reedkit, Warmkit, you have both been ready to become apprentices for a quarter-moon now," Duskstar said. "This ceremony should have been completed the day Snowstar and Palepaw were attacked, and I perform it for you now in their honor. From this day on, until you have proven yourself worthy of your warrior names and ranks, you will be known as Reedpaw and Warmpaw. I ask our ancestors in StarClan to watch over you and guide you until you find in your paws the courage and strength of true warriors."

Duskstar watched, pleased to see that both kits puffed out their chest and purred happily at her words. Then she glanced at the crowd, searching the faces until her gaze rested on a blue-grey figure with dark green eyes. Slatepelt immediately perked up.

"Slatepelt," Duskstar mewed, "I believe you are ready to take on an apprentice. As my apprentice, you showed yourself to be brave and always put the Clan before yourself; as a warrior, you have proven yourself to be patient and loyal to your friends. You will therefore mentor Warmpaw. I expect that you will pass on all you know to this young cat, and that she will grow into a fine warrior under your guidance."

Slatepelt wove through the crowd of cats and halted before Warmpaw, who timidly reached up to touch her nose to his. This time Duskstar could hear as Slatepelt gently murmured, "I will teach you to be brave," to his new apprentice. Warmpaw's eyes glowed, and then she dipped her head shyly.

Duskstar raised her head again and locked eyes with Silverspot; the black-spotted warrior's contemptuous glare turned into a look of wary surprise as she realized that Duskstar wasn't telling her to stop souring the occasion for everyone else.

"Silverspot," Duskstar meowed, "You are also ready for an apprentice. You have proven yourself time and again to be a loyal and fierce warrior, brave in the face of danger, and at least milder in temperament around those who are not as experienced as you are." Genuine surprise flickered across all of the gathered faces — especially Silverspot — as the cats of FernClan recognized the teasing tone in Duskstar's voice. Duskstar couldn't keep her whiskers from twitching as she continued, "Silverspot, you will mentor Reedpaw. I hope that you will pass on your courage and ferocity to him, just so long as your temper stays out of the training process."

Silverspot looked wary again as she padded forward, but once she stood before Reedpaw, her icy green gaze softened, and she touched noses with him as gently as hr brother had done with Warmkit. She, too, seemed to encourage her apprentice, though Duskstar couldn't hear what she mewed.

"Reedpaw! Warmpaw! Reedpaw! Warmpaw!" One by one, the gathered cats called out the names of the new apprentices to the ever-darkening sky; Duskstar was touched to see that of all the cats, the new mentors and the elders called their names the loudest of all. She was certain that Rowanpelt's deep yowl especially could be heard all the way to the Moonrock.

Duskstar waited until the noise died down before she mewed, "As I said before, there are two ceremonies to conduct tonight. One is now finished; the other must now proceed, in accordance with the warrior code." She dipped her head in sadness as she continued, "I never expected that I would so soon be placed in the position of choosing my own deputy. In truth, I never wanted to see that day come. But it is here, and I again perform this ceremony in honor of those cats who should have lived to see this day come."

She paused, watching as the whole of FernClan murmured and dipped their heads as she had done. The pain left by the deaths of their Clanmates would take a long time to fade into little more than an ache, and Duskstar allowed them that moment of reflection before continuing on with the ceremony.

Duskstar locked gazes with Silverspot; after a moment of thought, she dipped her head and meowed, "Silverspot… I know you have never liked me, and we have never agreed on much of anything. But you are a brave and loyal warrior; will you prove that loyalty again as my deputy?"

For one heartbeat, there was a still silence among the cats. Then, as if waking from a dream, Silverspot turned to face her Clanmates.

"Cats of FernClan," she mewed slowly, "I… I never expected to receive this position under Duskpe— under Duskstar. I don't know why she chose me over her littermate… over her apprentice… over her closest friends in this Clan. I don't know why she chose me at all." She paused, then lifted her head high and continued, "But she has asked me to fulfill this position, and I cannot back down from it now. FernClan needs a strong leadership, and I swear on my life I will work to give it that strength." She turned her narrowed green eyes to Duskstar and meowed, "Yes, Duskstar, I will serve as your deputy. Just don't expect me to like you!"

"I never said you had to, Silverspot," Duskstar sighed. Then she raised her muzzle to the sky and yowled, "I say these words before the spirits of our ancestors in StarClan, that they may hear and approve my choice. Silverspot will be FernClan's new deputy!"

The gathered cats wove around Silverspot, mewing their congratulations and purring happily. Silverspot accepted their words with a stunned slowness that was unusual for her, but she quickly shook the shock out of her pelt and began to butt her head against shoulders and flanks.

From where she stood on the Fallen Tree, Duskstar saw Sablepelt and Rowanpelt look up at her with eyes that were narrowed in curiosity and approval. It was clear that those two, at least, were eager to see what would happen now that Silverspot was the deputy of FernClan.

* * *

**Author's Note: Woo! Finished! I had fun writing this chapter — I love writing ceremonies! X3**

**I know I said I was going to do the next chapter of **_**Through Shadow and Fire, **_**but… I don't know. Right now I'm feeling a little drained of ideas for that story. I'm going to put it on the back burner for right now, and hopefully I'll be able to update it by New Year's. KaizenUchiha, if you're reading this, I'm really sorry, but sometimes I just hit those blocks that I can't get around for a few months. I **_**promise **_**you that I will not forget your character when I do write the next chapter of **_**Through Shadow and Fire**_**.**


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